Power Kite Forum

So torn....H1N1

macboy - 21-10-2009 at 08:28 PM

So, since we've got a sensitive little one in the house, the wifey and I are going to line up for the Canadian H1N1 inoculation and I must admit the conspiracist in me is wrestling with it.

So we (me and my inner voice) think of it this way....there's lots of people not vaccinating their babies on the standard "schedule" because there's no threat of the diseases anymore really. But the thing is, there's no threat because so many of us are vaccinated so the disease can't reach those that aren't vaccincated. Same deal with H1N1 I guess. If the hero's share of people out there DO get inoculated, then it'd be harder for the disease to migrate across the countryside. As a result, those that don't get the vaccine might be OK afterall. This doesn't make the vaccine unnecessary - if the vast majority HADN'T been vaccinated then the disease would have been able to travel quite freely.

I'm really not a fan of flu shots......and by that I mean the pharmaceutical industry (sorry if any of you PKFers work in the 'biz.....no disrespect intended. - just my personal opinion.) Who's getting it / who's not and what's the rationale? On the upside I'll be sure to not bring the Canadian strain down to NABX with me ; )

Kamikuza - 21-10-2009 at 08:46 PM

You got about the same odds as being hit by lightening and dying.
Odds are good you'll die in a car crash or probable that you'll die in a plane crash before you die of H1N1.
Odds are greater you'll fall down the stairs and die from that or some other stupid accident in the home.

I'm sick at the moment ... I'm sick of all this fear-mongering by the #@%$#!wit media.
Nuclear armadeddon, oil crisis, ice age, global warming, holes in ozone layer, aids, ebola, mad cow disease, sun spots, no wind, economic crisis, co2, acid rain, methane, disapearing rain forests, cancer from power lines, heat islands, economy class syndrome, carbon offsets - those are the "dangers" that have been pimped by the media that just flowed off the top of my head ... I stopped typing when I ran out ...

Scared people are too busy keeping their head down being scared to be asking questions like why can't I get health care? why is the education system screwed? why, if we have these problems, are we doing nothing to fix them? where is the research that proves all this? why is the economy screwed? why are we paying mega-bucks for #@%$#!wits to sit in the government and screw us all?

So no, I won't be getting an injection :D

flyjump - 21-10-2009 at 08:56 PM

Kamikuza you are my hero right now. I have my Bachelors Degree if Bio, and i totally agree with people who don't get the vaccination. One of the first things we learned in the microbiology program is that the common cold or flu claims countless lives each year, but the new or uncommon diseases get all of the media. its a ploy to make money. unless you are very ill or, you don't have a healthy immune system i would say don't get the vaccination. The government doesn't report that the normal flu virus and common cold kill more people per year than the swine flu. Let it be known that some medical supply company is making tons of money off of this vacine.

harddrive8 - 21-10-2009 at 08:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza
I'm sick at the moment ... I'm sick of all this fear-mongering by the #@%$#!wit media.
Nuclear armadeddon, oil crisis, ice age, global warming, holes in ozone layer, aids, ebola, mad cow disease, sun spots, no wind, economic crisis, co2, acid rain, methane, disapearing rain forests, cancer from power lines, heat islands, economy class syndrome, carbon offsets - those are the "dangers" that have been pimped by the media that just flowed off the top of my head ... I stopped typing when I ran out ...


No wind is a VERY real danger. Without wind, it's hard to fly the kites!

furbowski - 21-10-2009 at 08:59 PM

I survived SARS in hong kong back in '03, and been around a couple H1N1 style scares since then.

those at risk are the sendentary, the very old, and the very young.

for me I mostly enjoyed the cheap air travel and empty tourist destinations and didn't take much notice.

the virus cannot survive more than a few minutes of exposure.

trouble is most healthy folks hardly notice it, yet can pass it on to those more at risk, the very young in your case.

i'd get the injection, if only to nail shut that one-in-a-million shot that you might pick something up else where and pass it on.

current protocol here (I take of a lot of kids in residential outdoor adventure camps) is to quarantine any fever over two degrees, and minimize contact for any fever over one degree. We have several people in quarantine at the moment in China.

ask your doc for better info...

AD72 - 21-10-2009 at 09:07 PM

Quote:

I'm sick at the moment ... I'm sick of all this fear-mongering by the #@%$#!wit media.
Amen. When is the asteroid coming is what I want to know.

WolfWolfee - 21-10-2009 at 09:09 PM

I can't agree, with all the world travel and huge immigration we are experience things we haven't seen in 30 years. Polio is showing up again as well as TB, real hot spots in Canada's west coast.
Children have less defenses, is it worth playing the odds?

stetson05 - 21-10-2009 at 09:23 PM

My Opinion.

H1N1 is not that bad.:barf: It is really easy to get, maybe easier than the regular flu. You will definitely notice the miserable 7-14 days of cough, headache, sorethroat, and body aches, and fever no matter how healthy you are BUT unless you are pregnant or have a weak immune system it Probably Won't Kill You. The CDC doesn't even recommend treating it with medications unless you are pregnant or really sick already. Like said before, the media has found a story that sells because fear sells.:thumbdown: Get the shot if you want, I probably will because work will pay for it and I can't really afford to be sick for a week or more.

Next time this year there will probably be a lawsuit over it like any other drug out there more potent than water.

About the other diseases out there that there are vaccinations for, they are bad and no they are not gone. Last year in Seattle there was a measles outbreak because enough parents wouldn't vaccinate their kids. I took care of a poor little kid too young for the vaccine that got it. It spread way faster than H1N1. There are many examples of bad diseases spreading. In the US I have taken care of measles, pertussis, and tuberculosis all of which should be gone.

Kamikuza - 21-10-2009 at 09:45 PM

Yeah we were in Singapore for a couple of weeks when SARS was a huge "problem" ... and in Japan, too. Same with bird flu ... and my brother-in-law lives in Singapore. Total deaths in the family - zero :rolleyes:

No wind huh ... for that to happen, the world would have to be rolled out flat facing the sun with a uniform distribution of water and land ... and the magma too.

World travel ... Spanish Flu wiped out millions when world travel was almost non-existent. Not a factor.

Fevers and other medical paranoia ... I don't know what my normal body temperature is, don't know where a thermometer is in the house although there's one in my anemometer and only recently learned my blood type.

I wash my hands after taking a crap and after handling grotty pets like turtles. Most of the time.
I eat food that's past it's used by date and try not to eat the REALLY moldy bits of the cheese.
I sleep naked with the windows open, even in winter. Last year, I made it through winter wearing nothing more than a shirt and a sweater.
I do my winter landboarding in shorts & t-shirt with a windbreaker, but that was too hot so I rolled the sleeves up and un-zipped it.
Yeh, I guess I'm pretty militant about hardening the f**k up and getting on with it, rather than running off to the doctor for every sniffle and wet fart.

I mostly use illness as an excuse to take the day off work and go riding or flying :D
I'm sure if I had kids though, it'd be a different story ...

Tamiflu ... wasn't it Rumsfeld that has like 15% shares in that company whatever and signed the order for the US government to stockpile another billion dollars worth of the stuff?
And good ol' Al Gore (who uses more energy in one month than a regular family does in 2 years) who is pushing the green guilt and carbon offsets and stuff ... doesn't he own the compalies you buy them from?
Gas prices per barrel plummet and yet we're still paying premium prices and the airlines are still insist on a fuel surcharge?

W. T. F ???

Nostradamus says the asteroid is coming in next month and is headed right for your favourite kiting spot, AD72 :lol:

stetson05 - 21-10-2009 at 09:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza

...I sleep naked with the windows open, even in winter....

I'm sure if I had kids though, it'd be a different story ...



Having kids really puts the damper on sleeping naked :wink2:

My favorite though

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza
Yeh, I guess I'm pretty militant about hardening the f**k up and getting on with it, rather than running off to the doctor for every sniffle and wet fart.


ROTF LMAO
Can I use that?

WIllardTheGrey - 21-10-2009 at 11:31 PM

Doc I just had a wet fart should I go to the ER?!:moon:

Kamikuza - 21-10-2009 at 11:52 PM

LOL well the wife is a big wimp who seems to spend a lot of time sitting on the toilet, worried about her bowel movements and the consistency thereof or with a thermometer in her armpit ... I just think she's been in Japan too long :yes:

... the Oceaniac sense of humour ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unkIVvjZc9Y

kitejumper - 22-10-2009 at 03:25 AM

no shots for me--i'll eat right--exercise and take my chances

carltb - 22-10-2009 at 05:03 AM

no drugs for me. and if i get a cold or flu then i feel bad for a week, but get over it. i have a good immune system (you need a good one to kitesurf in the u k) i dont have any small kids and am not old (well not very old!!) i havent been to see a doctor inn about 5 years.

my moto is eat enough dirt and the body will be able to cope witha any bug!!!!

kteguru - 22-10-2009 at 06:36 AM

@ macboy,,,,,,,the problem with giving shots whether h1n1 or other to children(or adults for that matter) is not in the vaccine itself its in the carrier. The vaccine itself constitutes a minutely small portion of the shot, the rest is thimerisol. All shots of any type exist in a carrier of thimerisol. No other substance has been found to have the same properties, one of which is the shelf life of the vaccine. The detrimental effects of thimerisol are staggering, you could easily fill a book with them, which many people have. If you have children you might want to educate yourself on the substance and it's effects. Little one's are especially at risk since they're still developing. Good luck with your decision.

Good winds

ragden - 22-10-2009 at 06:39 AM

I typically end up getting all these stupid vaccines, even though I know I dont need them. Thing is, my wife takes immunosuppresants on a daily basis. She had a kidney transplant back in 1997. She is doing well, but her immune system is weakened by all the wonderful drugs the doctor has her taking. So, she is recommended to get all the great vaccines that come out every year. Which, in turn, means the doctor recommends that I get them too... Not my cup of tea, but I do it for her...

f0rgiv3n - 22-10-2009 at 07:23 AM

:thumbup: I too am sick of the hype of H1N1.... I'm pretty sure I had it already, it's not that big of a deal. :P It does pose a big risk like mentioned above to the not-so-healthy and such but so does the regular flu?

macboy - 22-10-2009 at 11:07 AM

I don't know what it's like in the US but up here in Canada that vaccine has been pushed through the "testing" phase like wildfire. Let me tell you - THAT inflames the conspiracist inside me.

Truly though, at the end of the day I've got little Anna to think about as well as a step-mother who is fighting the good fight against cancer and as result has a immensely depleted immune system so I feel I really "should".

Thing is, maybe the family can kinda hide for the first bit and see how things progress and if it looks like it's coming in like a freight train as they suspect THEN we can make a move? I dunno...something tells me that's dumb logic to a degree. Something also tells me I'm not the only one who's gonna think that. In fact, one of the hosts on Daily Planet - a science show up here - said he'd be doing the same...waiting to see and then reacting. I share both sides of the decision which is what makes it hard. Normally I'm a self-healer as well - diet, exercise and hygiene seem to work for me.

Kamikuza - 22-10-2009 at 06:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by WolfWolfee
Polio is showing up again ...


You can thank the genius Islamic scum-bags for that one ... during the late 90's IIRC polio was due to be wiped out but the Islamist whackos on the Indian sub-continent and north Africa decided that the polio vaccine made you incontinent and impotent and then issued a fatwah declaring that the vaccine was an American and United Nations ( :puzzled: ) plot to sterilze the faithful blah blah blah ...

Tonka - 22-10-2009 at 06:55 PM

Kam....now that made me laugh.....:smilegrin:

Kamikuza - 22-10-2009 at 07:08 PM

True story, unfortunately :( religion - making the innocent suffer since ... well forever.

soccerflyer - 22-10-2009 at 07:47 PM

Seems to me you take chances no matter what. I haven't ever had a flu shot, and I can't recall ever getting the flu. I can name about 5 friends that got the flu shot and then got the flu because of it. I am sure there are even more that don't get it afterward, but point is it is a risk either way.

I REALLY HATE needles so . . . . . .

Plus this really freaked me out!!!!! . . . . . . . .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGT0r-udstQ&feature=popt00us11

Kamikuza - 22-10-2009 at 09:37 PM

You can add me to that list soccerflyer - the company I was working for when I was about 20 offered to pay for the shot ... I thought why not then the next day had the flu :lol:

WELDNGOD - 26-10-2009 at 08:51 AM

The wife and I just woke up w/ it! Jeez, this sucks,I feel like total crap on fire. And this dang cough. Man, this doesn't waste any time jumpin on ya':no: Back to bed........

PHREERIDER - 26-10-2009 at 09:02 AM

poison all of it.

wash your hands. go outside work, play, eat food only packaged by nature

and most importantly kill your TV

Scudley - 27-10-2009 at 10:34 AM

Listening to the news this morning: a 13 year old boy in Toronto died of H1N1 last night. He had a sore throat Friday. Sunday was sick enough his parents took him to a clinic where he was given aspirin for fever and sent home. Dead Monday night.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/27/frustraglio-h1n1-t...
Maybe inoculation is not such a bad idea, but try getting one. There is not enough vaccine in Canada to give shots to health care workers, only to high risk patients.
S

macboy - 27-10-2009 at 12:48 PM

Not true in Alberta....there's rumors that we might have excess - to the point that the US is asking to buy overages. We just got back from a 3 hour wait to get ours....but that's because we were keeners and got there 1/2 hour early. When we left the line was only about an hour to an hour and a half long.

Yes, I went ahead with it....the thing is wicked and I'd rather not be the reason our little Anna got it....or anyone else for that matter. I'm not fear-mongering, to each their own but truly, there is a school of thought that says "the reason people who DO NOT get vaccinated do not fall ill is largely because of those who DO get vaccinated thereby preventing the disease from being able to spread from host to host." If you think about it, it makes perfect sense to me so I thank all of you who have been vaccinated when I have not because you've helped keep the disease away from me. I'll help keep H1N1 from you by getting myself vaccinated should you choose not to.

Weldngod - I hope you and the wife make it through OK.

WolfWolfee - 27-10-2009 at 02:18 PM

The government here in Alberta is sure hiding how bad it is here. My daughter lives in Peace River, its is a full blown epidemic there. She is expecting any day and really scared, hospital is overwhelmed and they are sending staff to peoples homes asking them to stay in there homes. Glad to hear you guys got her done, as you say just not worth the risk to the little ones.

revpaul - 27-10-2009 at 03:23 PM

what exactly is the issue/dangers with needles(vaccines/inoculations)? are some needles more troublesome than others?
what's vaccinated vs inoculated? i normally do not get needles but mostly due to lack of intiative since i have no other reasons in mind.
i read here that the vaccine's carrier is troublesome.
right or wrong:
i've heard that;bugs (sometimes) change too quickly for even the latest vaccines to be current/effective, some people never get needles and never get sick, some people get needles and still get the sickness, needles are a get rich scam of pharmacutical companies.
Paul

Kamikuza - 27-10-2009 at 06:18 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Scudley
Listening to the news this morning: a 13 year old boy in Toronto died of H1N1 last night. He had a sore throat Friday. Sunday was sick enough his parents took him to a clinic where he was given aspirin for fever and sent home. Dead Monday night.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/27/frustraglio-h1n1-t...
Maybe inoculation is not such a bad idea, but try getting one. There is not enough vaccine in Canada to give shots to health care workers, only to high risk patients.
S


How many kids died in car crashes that day? Falling down the stairs etc ...? it's cold but it's not statistically significant to warrant all the paranoia. Ill-informed paranoia, if you live in Japan :(

All virii (sp?) mutate and change - it's called evolution. We'll always be playing catch-up to try and beat them ... here's a sci-fi scenario for you - perhaps if we'd just suffered the original cold flu, rather than trying to kill it with drugs, we wouldn't have forced it to mutate into something more virulent ...? ;)

william_rx7 - 27-10-2009 at 09:51 PM

Paranoid or not, Evan Frustaglio died in about 48 hours after even his doctor told him to just go home and get some rest.

Saturday he was playing hockey with a sniffle, Monday morning he collapsed dead in the bathroom.

The poor kid lived about 15 km from my house.

My family is getting the flu shots ASAP!


RIP Evan

stetson05 - 28-10-2009 at 12:44 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza
Quote:
Originally posted by Scudley
Listening to the news this morning: a 13 year old boy in Toronto died of H1N1 last night. He had a sore throat Friday. Sunday was sick enough his parents took him to a clinic where he was given aspirin for fever and sent home. Dead Monday night.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/27/frustraglio-h1n1-t...
Maybe inoculation is not such a bad idea, but try getting one. There is not enough vaccine in Canada to give shots to health care workers, only to high risk patients.
S



How many kids died in car crashes that day? Falling down the stairs etc ...? it's cold but it's not statistically significant to warrant all the paranoia. Ill-informed paranoia, if you live in Japan :(

All virii (sp?) mutate and change - it's called evolution. We'll always be playing catch-up to try and beat them ... here's a sci-fi scenario for you - perhaps if we'd just suffered the original cold flu, rather than trying to kill it with drugs, we wouldn't have forced it to mutate into something more virulent ...? ;)


virus is plural. viron is singular. The virus mutates because it doesn't replicate it's self. It replicates in the host's cells by the host's own mechanism. Each host is different. put simply. You are right though about statistical danger. Lots more dangerous to drive somewhere. All that being said I got the shot last night at work. I really can't afford to be sick working in an ER. We have tons of sick calls already.
I do feel bad about the people that have died from it even as unlikely as it is.

WELDNGOD - 28-10-2009 at 06:47 AM

Sad thing is , it was Evans own immune response that killed him. that is why it is knocking perfectly healthy young people down for the count. That was what the spanish flu did 1918 , it killed lots of people you would think were too healthy.Their bodies sent out too aggressive an attack, and there lungs would fill w/ fluid and they died of severe pnuemonia. Look up cytokine storm if want more info how this works.

macboy - 28-10-2009 at 08:12 AM

How are you guys doing Weldngod?

WELDNGOD - 28-10-2009 at 08:27 AM

I'm doin alot better now , the wife not so much. Can't stand being in bed anymore, and for the first time in days I'm hungry. I'm not sayin I feel like flyin yet , but were gonna live.
Just seems like a bad 4 day flu.

Todd - 28-10-2009 at 08:50 AM

Get well guys! Let me know if you need anything, I have some friends in the area that can run some where if you need.

WELDNGOD - 28-10-2009 at 09:20 AM

thanks Todd, we got plenty of family to help us.thanks for the offer. As I sit here homebound,I see out the window, the sky has cleared up. And now the wind is blowing pretty good, now I'm gonna be sick:ticking:

Scudley - 28-10-2009 at 09:33 AM

The similarity between this flu and Spanish Influenza are why public health authorities are so scared by this flu. Other causes for the reaction by public health officials were: how fast the virus traveled around the globe; no protection from this virus was provided by any the vaccines available at the time of discovery; and the only drug available for treatment was of limited benefit.
Although the drug companies stand to make large amounts of money from the vaccines, the driving force for the implementation of the immunization program were public health officials. They have the thankless job of preventing major outbreaks of disease. If they control the outbreak, the public feels that the warnings were a bunch BS and tonnes of money was wasted. If they fail at controlling the outbreak, the public and politicians will hold them responsible for the failure. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.
If you think the immunization programs is a costly boondoggle, think of the total economic cost of a major epidemic that kills hundreds of thousands and requires millions of hospitalizations, (think lost time at work; insurance claims; lost income, etc.). A gram of prevention is much cheaper than a kilogram of cure.
S

revpaul - 28-10-2009 at 10:37 AM

i went for a haircut last night. the topic of choice was H1N1. most everyone said they were not getting the needle because "let everyone else get it and that's good enough".
the second interesting point they were discussing was the "we don't have to worry about it because it only hits the old folks and young kids". the article i read says majority killed (here in Canda) are ~32 yr female.

macboy - 28-10-2009 at 12:37 PM

Yup. The "old folks" were exposed to a strain that has some similar antibodies so it's actually LESS LIKELY to hit those 65+

One thing I really don't get is why Anna (5 months old) can't get it yet if she wa 6 months old (three weeks from now) she could :puzzled: We figure if she can't handle it for whatever reason at 5 months we're not going to set an alarm clock for her 6 month birthday.

That's the trouble really....there's so much confused info out there about this thing it's getting everyone turned upside down.